On the
cover...The Hornady Lock-N-Load AP five station press is shown with the CZ Model 85 Combat 9mm. Loading press photo by Stan Trzoniec. Pistol photo by Steve Gash.

Outside
of North America, many experienced hunters firmly believe
in what Americans consider moderate muzzle velocity, from about 2,400 to 2,800 fps. Why?
Well, for one thing such velocities dont jelly, shred and crater huge amounts of
edible venison  which in many other countries is sold on the marketplace. Too, such
velocities allow the use of standard bullets. Believe it or not, many premium
hunting bullets become pretty pricey for general hunting by the time you ship them to the
Czech Republic or South Africa.

Many
such hunters have also found that moderate velocities often kill quicker, even with
premium bullets. How can this be so? Weve been told for decades that extra speed
always results in extra killing power, whether through more foot-pounds of
kinetic energy or high velocitys Holy Grail, hydrostatic shock.

Except
for solids, game bullets are designed to expand when they hit a game animal.
Where they expand can affect how well they kill. Weve all heard about  or even
seen  tender bullets coming apart before penetrating deeply enough, but even some
expensive premium bullets work more effectively at lower velocities.

When
pushed to high velocities, any bullet can expand so rapidly that the vast majority of
tissue damage occurs near the entrance hole. By the time the bullet gets inside, expansions
over. Instead of blowing the heart or lungs apart, the bullet punches a relatively small
hole.

Reduce
velocity a few hundred fps, however, and the bullet only starts to expand on the skin,
muscle and bones on the outside of a game animal. Much of the bullets expansion
takes place inside, doing much more damage to heart and lungs  and the animal
quickly keels over.

This
phenomenon is most noticeable on game larger than deer, one reason Americans (who mostly
hunt deer) are unfamiliar with the concept, particularly down South where deer run
smaller. Here about any bullet will do the job, because even if it expands extremely
quickly, the deers chest cavity is only a few inches wide. But move up to larger
game, even big northern deer, and moderate-velocity bullets often kill just as quickly, or
even quicker. The slower bullet does more of its work deep inside the animal.

If youre
worried about reducing energy by slowing a bullet down, use a heavier bullet.
While I was growing up, wise old gun writers said to use 150-grain bullets for deer in the
.30-06, because 150s were built to expand more rapidly than 180s and hence killed better.
I havent found this to be true with todays bullets, in fact have dropped more
100- to 200-pound animals in their tracks with 180-grain bullets from the .30-06. Most of
todays hunting bullets are designed to expand easily, no matter what their weight.

American
hunters tend to fret that reducing velocity also reduces range. Along with extreme
velocity, this is also an odd concept to most European and African hunters, who consider
300 yards a very long shot. Americans also doubt that slower bullets will expand way out
there, but 2,400 fps is plenty for shooting out to 200 yards, and 2,700 to 2,800 for
shooting game at any range out to 400 yards  as long as you know your rifles
trajectory. If you dont, you have no business shooting that far!

The next time you peruse a ballistics table,
note the numbers of some old rounds that have survived around a century, such as the
6.5x55 Swede (110 years), 7x57mm Mauser (112), .30-06 (98) and .375 H&H (92). These
have all gained a reputation for killing better than their paper ballistics  and
most factory loads send bullets out the muzzle at between 2,400 and 2,800 fps, speeds not
only easier on our shoulders but also very often harder on game.